Batter dropper



N. Ml NINBERG BATTER DROPPER June .16, 1925.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 9, 1922 Patented June 1M6, 1925a BATTER DROPPER.

.application l'ed'ugust 9, `1922. Serial No. 580,706.

To all whom t may concern;

Be it` known ythat I, NATHAN MININBERG, acitizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, inthe county of Hennepin and State` of Minnesota, have invent-ed certain new and `useful, Improvements in,Batter roppers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inventiomsuch as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use'.` the same.

4 This invention relates to, an apparatus for droppinggbatter, dough, and the like, and more especially to a device of this char- -V 'acterrwhichis adapted to deposit batter` or `dough upon aftravelling surface for the purfoods, and has for its` object to produce adevice of this character which will besimple f in construction, comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, `and more eiicient-in use ,than those which have ybeen heretofore proposed. With'the above and other, objects in; view .which will appearV as-the' description vproceeds, Vthe invention consists vin the novel 4details of construction andV combinations` of .parts more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the 'appended claims. Y j y Y. Referring to the accompanying drawings 'forming apart of this specification in which like numerals designate like partsin all the views;` ,fr

Figure 1 isa diagrammaticverticalsectional view, partly in elevation, of an apparatus madein accordance-with the'present invention; n f r Fig. 2 .is a transverse vertical sectional elevational View, partly broken away, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows; j Fig. 3 isa fragmentary sectional plan view of the parts shown in Figs. 1 an'd2.; and, Fig. 4:*isan enlarged detail sectional' elevationa-l View, taken approximately onthe line .i-4 of Fig. 2, looking finzthe direction of the arrows. c ,v i l `In thesaid drawings the numeral 1 indicatesa chute or trough leadingfrom` any suitable supplyf ofdough, batter, candy, or the like, the lower end 2of which chute is detachably connected, as bythe wingnut 3, toa receiving chamber or hopper4. The

provided at or near one `ing 9. The end of the said tube, adjacent `leg of which is secured ypipe 8, while the other end is fiared outvthrough the said member 16 whereby they suitable source of power not said chamber 4 is preferably provided with Vthe substantially vertical end wall 5 and the inclined wall, as well as suitable side walls 7, as will be clear from the drawings.

Beneath the said chamber4 4 there is lo- `v cated a pluralitylof drop `for-ming andfeedlng devices each of which comprises a tube end with an openthe said opening 9, is provided with adis- Acharge nozzle 1Q, which .preferably takes the form of an inverted U-shaped memberone to the end of the said wardly fas at 11 and forms the discharge mouth from which the drops arey discharged. pose of producing flaked or puiedbreakfast The tubes 81are preferably arranged beneath the dough chamber 4 in staggered relation, as seen in end elevation in F ig. 2,

and the lower tubes are progressively;short-ff in the` same vertical and batter or dough dropsare forced from the discharge nozzlesdO they arefdistributed overa wide surface area so that no two drops touchone anothen H i t Y Slidably mounted within each of the pipes S/is a piston or plunger 12 which snugly its the'interior'ofthe said pipes and which is carried by a'. slidablerod 13 extending pipes and out of their right hand ends, as seen in Fig.` 1, through avertical guiding and supporting plate 14. The said rods '13. also extend through a second guiding andsupportingplate 15 and they are all-rigidly connected to a vertical plate may all be moved in unison by lmeans of a cam 17, rotatably `mounted upon a shaft 18, driven from any shown. i

I The said vertical supporting andguiding members 141and 15 form a chamber19, out ofI communication with the'chamber 4, and each of the said rods 13 is provided, inside offthesaid chamber 19, lwith a compression coil spring'20, one end of-which21 is secured to-the said rod, while the other end thereof abuts` against the surface of the said partition orguiding member 14. It thus resultsthat whenever the .rods 13 aremoved toward the left, as seen in Fig. 1, by the cam 1'?, the springs 20 are compressed, and when the said cam 17 ceases tov act thegsaidsprings will return the said rods toward the right to their initialy positions. l l

The-parts are so 'designed and lconstructed that the plungers or pistons 12, carriedby the said iods 13,are-,reciprocated:across-the openings 9, adjacent the left hand ends of the tubes or pipes 8, and the said fplungers are of such dimensions as to completely close the said openings When they areat--thee-nd of their stroke. When the said plungers Aarenioved to 'the right, Athey 4uncover vthe said openings?) and permit iportions of the batter or'dougli Within'tlie'dough chamber lljto pa'ssrthi'ougli the said openings Qinto Vtheextreme -eiids of 'the :tubes 8.

As the vplungers lare inioved toward the left fromthe positions illustrated inFig.l l, the dough or batter Whichhas entered the left-hand ends of the said tubes or pipes '8 through the openings 9, is trapped-there in, and is forced toward the left, as seienin Fig. 1 ,by1thesaid p'lung'eis, into thelpassages/*Z2 kofthe discharge nozzlesilO. VDue to'fthe'sliape of-'theV said nozzles, the dough "is iirst forced upwardly over the bend-therein, and thendownwar'dly, and isdischai'iged from .theflared "endll of Vthe said nozzles in *drops onto a travelling metal be'lt25, which p'referablypasses i'nto anoven -Where vthe dropsfare subjected tothe action of lieat lto bake 'for 'toafst the saine. The Yflaring of the --discharge 'end of the nozzles 10 has a tendency lto preventr any excessdough' or 'batter from'working'its Way'up on the outside ofthe said nozzles, thereby maintaining `the same inv a clean' condition at all times andftendin'g A-to 'secure uniformity v'in the size of the drops discharged.

The Ifront or lefthand ends of thetubes "Spare pre'e-rablylsupported in a stepped front Wall'26, with which the dough cham- "ber '4 'is' provided, While the rear ends of the-said ytubes'are "s uppoifted in 'a substan- -t'ially vertical wall 27, see Fig l.v

After thev idro'psof vdough have 'been VeX- A.pe'lled romthe discharge l-openii'ig'of the vnozzles 410, =the` plungers 212 are returned to- Ward.tlie right, as seen -fin Fig. 1,' under the influence of' their springs 120, thereby -vcausling a partial vacuum tobefforme'd` AWithin the said nozzlesl 10 'which has a ftendency to suck any Idough remaining therein back' into `fthe extreme endsof the pipes or tubes 8. Thisaction -aflsol has 'a tendency to"secufre iuniformit'y fin" Athe sizeof the drops off I dough deposited.

4lt Will, 'of course,` be'apparent''that Y'any desired' number 10ft .tu'bes'8 and'lnoz'zles '10 4may ibe provided to provide for any desiied production. In'one instance inlactua'l practicepan apparatus ofV this character havi-n'g i62flsuoh tubes anddischarge'nozzles has produced u768 :pounds .of flflaiked breakfast vfood per hour. v "Itwill also befa-ppare'nt that'fthedevice tubes;

is adapted for use not only as a dropper for 'dough or batter for producing? aked or'puffed breakfast foods, but that-it may also vbe employed for dropping candies, marshmallows, jell-ies, frostings, and the like, upon any desired surface which may 4bez-placed beneath the discharge nozzles l0.

Furthermore the apparatus is capable of handling not yonly relatively thick doughs and batters but also mixtures of relatively thin consistencies. i

Itis obvious that those skilled inthe art may vary the'details of construction as Well as the arrangement Vof parts Without departing from'the spirit of the invention and therefore'it is not-wished to be limited to the above disclosure except' as mayfbe required-by the claims.

"'VVhatfis claimed is:

1. Ina 'deviceotthe class'described the combination of -a chamber adapted toreceive material to be deposited vin drops; a plurality of tubes associated with said chamber in staggered'relation-and provided with' lapertures through `whiclipo'rtions of said materiallmay enter; flaring discharge vnozzles carried by the ends of said tubes; plungers slidabvly mounted Within said tubes adapted to move past said apertu'res'to open and closeV the same, and' to expel the inaterial'livithin saidftubes through said nozzles in drops; andmeans for reciprocatf ing said `plungers.

2. vAn apparatus ofthe class described comprising a chamber "for receiving lmateri'al 'tdbedeposit'ed in drops; a plurality fof 'tubes located lbeneath said chamber in staggered relation, and'prOVitled With aper- `tures adjacent'one of vltheir ends through which portions of said material may enter; Haring discharge nozzlesiconnecte'd vto said reciprocating plungers mounted rWithin said tubes, adapted to force material therein through said nozzles; and cam kmeans*adapted to simultaneously move said plungers.

3. An apparatus of the class described comprising a chamber for receiving -materialv to be'deposited in drops; ra plurality of ftubes located 'beneath said chamber in staggered relation, and provided with apertures adjacent one Aofitlieir ends through 'which 1portions of 'said Imaterial Imay enter; flaring discharge nozzles connected to said tubes; reciprocating plungers mounted Within said tubes, adapted to force material therein vthrough said'nozzles; rods 'Within said tubes, connected lto said plungers; resilient means for rmoving Vsaid rods in"'o'ne direction; `and cam means vadapted to simultaneously move said xplungers inthe other direction.

4. In a device of the class described, the

vcombination of a chamber adapted to receive dough -material to be' deposited in tubes disposed 1n staggered relations and in dferent horizontal planes; plungers slid- ,ably mounted Within said tubes adapted to movepast said apertures to open and close the same, and to expel the material Within said tubes in drops; and means for reiproeating said plungers.

In testimony whereof I ax my signa- .p

ture.

NATHAN MININBERG. 

